Michael’s Grove

5th May 1870

My dear Sir

Thanks for your offer to lend me the Syllabaire Assyrien. I should like to have it to look over, but not immediately, as I work slow, owing to my weak state and cannot afford time to look at it and besides I may receive a copy from Ménant yet. I saw Smith yesterday who has a letter from Menant, in which he complains of having received only 25 copies, so that he is not able to send them to all his collaborateurs.

I do not know why I omitted the value of mat for <cuneiform> I often meet with it, see <cuneiform> var <cuneiform> in Tig. Pil vii.59. The truth is I have undertaken a most laborious task, and at my age (75) I cannot expect to live to complete it, without retaining all my faculties to extraordinary old age, I am therefore driven by time, and I fear I look too little to typographical correctness. I am very scrupulous in rewriting every article, and I do not spare any amount of labour in getting at what I believe to be the truth. Bt when I do get it, or when I give up the attempt to get it, I am rather apt to shirk the difficulties attending the printing. I make corrections whenever I meet them, and I assure you they make a very black list on the margin of my working copies. I will be much obliged for the loan of the book a few weeks hence. I have not much doubt about <cuneiform>; see the line <cuneiform> muhhuru eli-sunu umahir, “prayers upon them I prayed,” or invocations I invoked, In Sheet 7 vol I. of Rawlinson Inscriptions N^o ix A3. I do not know any direct proof, but fancy I have seen one in some bilingual list. I doubt mul for <cuneiform> but use it as a makeshift.

Yours very faithfully

Edwin Norris

H. Fox Talbot Esq
&c &c &c